Testing Verus Engineering canards at the track

We recently had the opportunity to test out a new set of carbon canards made by Verus Engineering on my 987.2 at NJMP Thunderbolt. We spent the morning sessions getting lap times consistent enough to have a baseline. Then, during lunch break we installed the canards having drilled the holes the night before. These things actually made a huge difference. We were skeptical at first that adding canards wouldn't make much of a difference. Where the front end felt a little unstable and pushed the car is now solidly planted with the canards installed. The higher speed corners where you're typically a little hesitant to push the car to the very edge were completely changed now that there was more confidence in the front grip at those speeds. After testing the waters a little bit, the car was able to carry much more speed through turns 3 and 4 and coming on to the straight. Those few mph at the beginning of the straight obviously translated into a significantly quicker lap time. After looking at the lap data from the AIM it confirmed what was felt out on track. The inside line on this picture is with the canards installed and the outside is without them. As you can see by the heat map we're able to carry a lot more speed through the faster corners and get on the power much earlier coming on to the straight. We have used Verus Engineering parts in the past on other platforms, and they really do their homework on every product they release. We can say without a doubt their stuff is top notch. Their analysis on a stock car showed that the canards provided 62.5 pounds of downforce with only a 10 pound drag penalty at 100mph. This moved the aero balance point forward by 30 millimeters. Here's a close up picture of what they look like. The install on these was a breeze, they come with a nice vinyl template that clearly marks where they should be installed and the fit and finish of the carbon pieces is top notch. We're currently working with Verus to test fit and track test some of their parts. They want to produce a complete aero package for the Cayman potentially consisting of a splitter, canards, rear wing and diffuser. For now though, the canards should be available for purchase from us soon for $309. The car has a Getty Designs duck bill and wing and a Tarret front lip. It was running on 245/275 R888R's with MCS coilovers.

The results are impressive. I just visited the Verus website and it appears this product has not been listed. Please let us know when these and other Porsche products are available for purchase.

Thanks, we appreciate it. We worked closely with Gear One Performance on a solution to their lack of front downforce/too much rearward aero-balance. We will have it on our website when production comes in later this month. However, we will prefer if it is purchased through Gear One Performance.

In for a full aero kit that actually has been tested where the front and rear work together!

Please make dive planes and a splitter for the 987.1 !! Thank you =P

We've got these up on our site. They're ready to ship out now! https://www.gearoneperformance.com/products/987-2-porsche-cayman-dive-plane-canard-kit

Will the dive planes fit on a 987.1 ?

We're working on confirming that they fit a .1.

Great test results on the dive planes. You mention a Tarett front lip. Any similar testing with that? Any input on the performance of the Tarett lip?

Pretty interesting video here of wind-tunnel tests on a 350Z and the huge difference subtle changes (like small canards and a slight bit of rake) can have on aero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgpawejpi6o

That is quite the facility....wish I could afford to test my parts there. Actually a customer had my 994 Turbo splitter there testing his car. I was/am interested in the feedback on the 987.2 lip.

Unfortunately I don't have the same type of data on the Tarett lip. We really only started doing the serious testing when we partnered up with Verus.

Have you confirmed fitment to 987.1 ? I don't recall there were any differences in t.he front bumper profile, but it's hard to tell for sure. thanks...

We just confirmed this morning that they do fit a 987.1 ! Come pick them up on our website all you .1 guys. https://www.gearoneperformance.com/products/987-2-porsche-cayman-dive-plane-canard-kit

I've got a bit of a teaser for you guys. We're looking to get these and a couple other pieces out this summer.

Nice looking evaluation. Looks much like the Joe Toth Products dive planes. I know he has them for all of the models of Caymans in both composite and carbon fiber. I have always like the swan neck wings. Thanks Ed

Yeah unfortunately there are only a few different ways you can make the canards for the bumper. The big advantage with Verus is the engineering that goes into the specific profile for the best on track results in everything they produce.

Well that's nothing new....all of the dive planes I've been producing for the past six years are model specific. Versus aren't the only folks bright enough to figure out the bumpers all have different curves and contours otherwise I wouldn't need a rack full of dive plane molds.Please get your facts straight before commenting on competitors product.Have a nice day,Joe

I didn't mean to say that your solution was one size fits all Joe. I was commenting on the CFD and aerodynamic analysis that Verus does.

That is pretty nice that they do that. It looks very impressive. I ran some quick trials with Ansys myself today just to see. Of course I do not have a model of a Cayman to use, so mine is a bit more crude (but at least the calculation ran fast) I was not seeing a huge difference is drag vs downforce if I moved the canards around and changed the angle a bit one way or the other. Changing the size made a big difference, but as long as I kept them about the same size and shape that Porsche Motorsports made them, then it was in the ballpark with what Versus is claiming. I am a little disappointed though, I thought the front downforce advantage would be a bit higher and the drag would be lower. Maybe one of the variables that is not being considered is the air that is not getting disturbed on the side of the car by the wheel wells. The dive planes should actually be helping overall downforce. I was having a problem keeping the front nose of my 997 cup car planted last year on my 997 cup car. At one point in frustration I added a pair of dive planes (covering up a sponsors logo unfortunately) and changed the rear wing position lessening it, not increasing it, and really gave myself a faster car overall. Thanks Ed

We have found that angle and location impact performance a significant amount. The location will dictate the angle the canards can be set at and still be effective. The whole package matters, not just the size. Looking at downforce created on the canard itself, size is a big driving factor. However, most of the performance of canards is by controling the flow around the front and side of the car. This is where location, angle, and overall design of the part comes in. All 3 of those change where the votices are created and where they are directed. The Verus canards make just over 60lbs of downforce and 10lbs of drag at 100mph. This is actually very efficient for canards as canards are usually very ineffiecnet aerodynamic devices. The efficiency or L/D is 6/1 for the Verus canards.

I'm looking to add more downforce on straights and slight bends past 120mph... car feels a bit floaty at this speed and i'm uncomfortable with that. Will these side canards help with front downforce and reduce the "floatiness" at these speeds? Ride is a 2010 Cayman 987.2S btw. Thanks.

Does your car come with any body kit of any sort, even like the ones on a Cayman R? I found that it helps, but up to a limit. Past 250kmh it gets a bit floaty again. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I run the Verus Canards and Wing on my Cayman with a Getty Interseries splitter (MAKE A 987.1 SPLITTER VERUS) and the car is rock solid well over 140mph..

I've ordered a pair of the Verus dive planes. Let's see how they do on my next spirited drive.

Just received these today. Looks to be a very robust construction and high quality material. I think I'll have them screwed in as opposed to just 3M tape . Only negative I think is the finish is a dull matte finish. I might add some 3M protective warp to give the gloss effect. These will be going on next week together with my B8s and R springs .

Definitely bolt them on. The matte finish is because they are dry carbon rather then a wet layup with gel coat. Dry is lighter and stronger but if you must have a glossy look a UV protective clear coat could be added.

Good suggestion on the clear coat. I was thinking of wrapping a 3M protective film over them but the clear coat seems an easy enough DIY and more cost effective.